1. Field
One embodiment of the invention relates to a wireless communication control technique of efficiently performing wireless communication complying with, e.g., the UWB (Ultra WideBand) standard.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, many information processing apparatuses such as personal computers have wireless communication functions. For example, a LAN (Local Area Network) is often built in an office in order to share a resource. When communication can be performed without any cable, the layout of the office can easily change.
As a technique for wireless communication to be performed by this type of information processing apparatus, a technique of time-sharing a predetermined frequency band among a plurality of information processing apparatuses is available. In relation to this technique, various proposals have been made for the purpose of efficiently performing wireless communication using a given frequency band serving as a limited resource (for example, see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005 245040).
In a wireless communication system disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005 245040, a wireless communication apparatus (having the function of a wireless base station) which belongs to a given network (parent network) can build another network (child network) within the range of a resource allocated to the wireless communication apparatus itself. According to this proposal, since the parent and child networks do not interfere each other, a plurality of networks can coexist on the same frequency band.
Assume that a wireless communication apparatus A tries to start wireless communication with a wireless communication apparatus B on a given network. Also, assume that a resource must be additionally allocated to perform this wireless communication, but cannot be allocated to this network.
In the wireless communication system disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005 245040, when the wireless communication apparatus A can wirelessly communicate with the wireless communication apparatus B within the range of the resource allocated to the wireless communication apparatus A, or when the resource can be additionally allocated to the wireless communication apparatus A by its shortage, the wireless communication apparatus A can immediately start wireless communication with the wireless communication apparatus B. However, when the resource becomes short in the network in the existing wireless communication system such as the wireless communication system disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005 245040, the wireless communication apparatus A must wait until the shortage of the resource is supplemented.